I hope sometime, once the coronavirus emergency has abated somewhat, to contact such entities as my legislative representative, or the ACLU, concerning the continuing civil rights issues of the stigmatized disabled. One approach could be to present the well-known catchphrase, “I don’t care if it [h-words] the Governor,” and note the response.
If the response is along the lines of, “Yes, that indicates that there is unfinished business concerning the social status of people having disabilities in our communities,” that would be something to work with.
But if there isn’t much of a response, that also could be a point in argument. “The phrase indicates pervasive social prejudice. What action has your agency taken concerning this issue so far?”
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Many of the early articles in this blog noted that a Molly Ivins article on the Time website used the catchphrase as if it wasn’t derogatory toward a vulnerable targeted minority (the title of the article is something like “The Chattering Class Should Just Let Go,” and it’s apparently archived behind a paywall now). CNN reprints it: https://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/time/1998/09/14/chattering.html , again apparently without any awareness that it might be problematic. Would they have printed “I don’t care if it [n-words] the Governor?”
The civil rights revolution will remain in an unfinished state until the habit of casual disrespect for America’s largest minority is addressed.
